


Digging Deeper

by taichara



Category: War of the Visions: Final Fantasy Brave Exvius
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:20:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23695312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taichara/pseuds/taichara
Summary: Overachieving, boring rations, and just how confusing things can be when you're learning to cook in small steps.In a hole.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6
Collections: Flash In The Pan: A Food Flash Exchange





	Digging Deeper

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kalloway](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalloway/gifts).



Mont stared at Lilyth. Like, really, wide-eyed, gobsmacked sort of stared, because what just came out of her mouth sounded like the absolute depths of crazy talk and that wasn't really what he expected from _Lilyth_ of all people --

Ignoring his twin, Sterne sheathed his sword, gave the massive feathered bulk sprawled across the blooded grass a long-suffering look, and drew his dirk. _Someone_ had to get started on actually prepping the stupid bird, didn't they?

"Don't leave your brother in the lurch, Lord Mont, get going now!"

A playful shove and Mont was staggering towards Sterne. Before he could squawk a protest Lilyth turned away with a grin and a wave of a bloodied hand, linking arm in arm with Ramada (who looked somewhere between resigned and almost amused) and leading the lancer off to the treeline.

Mont wasn't sure he wanted to know what the handaxe was for. Or why Learte and Baelio were tasked with digging a huge pit.

_Well, okay. So we need to dress it -- it can't be that much different than a pheasant. Can it?_

The zuu was peppered with wounds and its snaky neck was nearly severed, but maybe that wouldn't matter. Maybe. It was also at least Sterne's size -- not that Sterne seemed to care, slitting the thing's belly with brisk efficiency and wiping flying down off his face with a bloodied hand like it was nothing. And that was kind of disturbing to think about in weird ways that Mont shoved down into the dungeon of his mind.

"Do you need a hand ...?"

Sterne looked up from his crouch, eyed his brother, then eyed the zuu.

"It'd probably go easier if we hung it, but we don't have the rope. Do you think you can move all the parts around while I cut? And did Lilyth say anything about the giblets?"

Huh. Good question. Mont was mostly sure she didn't, but maybe that was part of the test? If this was a test. He shrugged.

"Not to me, but if they weren't edible wouldn't she or Ramada say so?"

"Good enough for me."

... Really that was a _lot_ of giblets. And some bits that Mont couldn't place from pheasants and quail, but he'd have time to ask about that later; trimming the straggly wing feathers off the beast was enough work as it was.

What kind of craziness did you need to cook a zuu, anyway ...?

-*-

A big pit, a roaring fire, big rocks and a lot of clay was the kind of craziness you needed to cook a zuu, as it turned out. Following Lilyth's instructions was _weird_ , and Mont had never felt more dubious about his food in his life then when slathering a massive bird carcass in clay before dropping it into a pit of hot rocks and _burying it_.

And _then_ ignoring it. After camp was officially pitched, their evening meal was more biscuit and arrowshot cheese and apple leather and some pennycaps Ramada foraged; filling, sure, but not the same. Mont shared Sterne's muttered grousing about the lack of meat of any variety, zuu or otherwise, and Lilyth's amusement didn't help one bit.

Awake with the dawn, he hadn't expected their first task to be digging up the pit again.

He _really_ hadn't expected the glorious roasty smell that came trickling up through the soil and branches when Learte's overeager digging cracked now-hard clay.

And when the clay mound was exposed and Lilyth leaned in with her axe to smash that clay shell, and Ramada peeled the huge shards off -- feathers and all! -- and they all saw, and _smelled_ , what lay underneath --

It was worth the work, alright. No doubt about it.

... But Mont was still, just a little, squeamish about all those giblets.


End file.
